Happy Valentines
Mark Bourrie at Ottawa Watch looks to be on the receiving end of a Mr. K. slapsuit. He is going to need some help with legal costs. Here is the link to donate.
I write a lot about freedom of speech. Part of that freedom is the right to fight bogus libel suits filed to stifle debate. I wrote about this particular abuse here.
Now it is time to put up or shut up. Mark needs our help. As any blogger may find himself or herself at the wrong end of Mr. K’s propensity for legal action, it is critical that we reach into our PayPal pockets and give what we can.
Update #1:
For those of you just joining us Mark Bourrie wrote ” He was a key actor in the sponsorship kickback scandal.” Mark suggests that his pronoun referred to Chuck Guite rather than Mr. K, however, Mr. K. is litigating the ambiguity suggesting that Mark’s words made Mr. K. a key actor. Actors have many roles and Mr. K’s was to write memos,
A memo tabled Wednesday made it clear Guite was recommended for the job by the office of Dave Dingwall, then federal public works minister. Warren Kinsella, who served as Dingwall’s chief of staff, wrote on Nov. 23, 1995 — less than a month after the referendum — that “recent experience” had shown the need to centralize federal ad strategy.It was a stellar performance but it takes a rather guilty conscience to raise its description to suggest “The clear meaning of the Libelous Words is that Mr. Kinasella acted unethically and/or illegally.” Mark suggested no such thing and Mr. K knows it.The same centralized approach should apply to public opinion polling and other communications programs, he said.
Public Works was the logical department to review past practices and put new procedures in place, Kinsella wrote.
“In my view Mr. J. C. Guite … should be assigned to carry out this review on a full-time basis,” he told Ran Quail, the deputy minister at Public Works.
“It is requested that he (Guite) be assigned to a position that will allow him to carry out these tasks.”
ctv
Update #2:
Great to see Greg Staples, Bob Tarantino, Kathy Shaidle, Daiman Penny and a host of other blogs refuse to let Mr. K get away with this sort of nastiness.
Update #3:
Welcome Instapunditeers…this is not about me so go visit Mark Bourrie then come on back for Canadian free speech in action.Update #4:What fun. Captains Quarters has chapter and verse on Kinsella from Gomery.
The matter died there. Mr. Quail decided that Mr. Kinsella’s memo was a mistake by an inexperienced political staffer who did not know better than to attempt to give direction to a senior public servant on how to organize his department. Mr. Dingwall testifies that he does not remember the incident, but assumes that he must have instructed Mr. Kinsella to write the memo.64 As to why he would have wanted Mr. Guité to be given important new responsibilities, the record is unclear.“Inexperienced political staffer”...nice. As Mr. K would say, really kicks ass.
gomery report, captains quarters
Update #5: Yesterday, lost in the shuffle, Antonia Zerbisias proposed that she act as Judge Judy as between Mark and Mr. K. This is a very, very good idea and the parties might want to think about taking her up on the offer.
The Canadian blogoshere is just developing its norms and guides to conduct. It would be an excellent precedent to have a dispute de-escalate and an even better one to have a neutral third party informally arbitrate as between the parties.
Update #6: Over at the Zerb’s post offering to play Judge Judy, Mark Bourrie posts, “I’m game.” Ball’s in Warren’s court, so to speak.
February 15th, 2006 at 4:25 am
How odd. Pleading evidence and all.
February 15th, 2006 at 7:59 am
Well, any average reader IS going to think the pronoun referred to Kinsalla. Mark’s lawyer might insist on putting up every conceivable bulwark, but I’d abandon that one as untenable.
Fortunately “key actor” seems quite defensible, from your demonstration here.
February 15th, 2006 at 8:01 am
Jay:
I want to pledge $100; 100 of us means $10,000, more than enough to put a stake through Kinsella’s heart.
I have no idea how to set up a defence fund, but if someone does, count me in. And see you at the victory party. Warzie is about to get a kick in the ass that he has long deserved—if enough of us are on board.
Me in the same team as Kathy Shaidle. Will wonders never cease.
February 15th, 2006 at 8:05 am
Ah, see I misspelled the plaintiff’s name. Should’ve just stuck with K.
Also, it appears Mark did later fix the pronoun. Whether he actually printed a correction to call attention to the fact is less clear. But even if he hasn’t, K. doesn’t seem to have a case.
February 15th, 2006 at 8:05 am
Dawg, the flying pigs were sighted.
Mark is raising money directly on his site.
February 15th, 2006 at 8:16 am
Ah Canada. Don’t you wish you folks had a 1st Amendment?
Sorry, but you folks are inheriting the wind. You should have followed the lead of Texas, and joined the USA as several of our states.
Then, you wouldn’t have to put up with bozos like this.
It’s not too late. Say it loud and say it proud: “Canada join the USA”.
February 15th, 2006 at 3:28 pm
paul, watching the spectacle of Dick Cheney being pilloried for a hunting accident, I am not entirely sure I want the 1st amendment. Plenty of bozos to go around on both sides of the border.
And, love you Yanks as I do, I’m happy to stay on my side of the line. (But, on a clear day I can see the mountains of the Olympic Peninsula for which many thanks.)
February 15th, 2006 at 7:40 pm
Dunno if they Canucks want to join the US, but they’re welcome to adopt the Bill of Rights- the copyright expired a couple of centuries ago, it’s in the public domain now. ;-)
February 15th, 2006 at 8:36 pm
That’s what happens when Canada is highlighted by Instapundit and Captain’s Quarters. Something interesting for Canadians will turn into a dreary jingo-fest of American triumphalism awfully fast.
February 15th, 2006 at 9:15 pm
Guess it all depends on what the meaning of the word “he” is.
Aw shut up. Someone had to say it…
Also, let’s get this over with, fast. You wouldn’t believe how hard it is to scrape flying pig shit off yer windshield…
February 20th, 2006 at 12:59 pm
Jay,
check out my latest
then you’ll figure out why it is that I don’t get too worked up about individuals threatening to sue other individual bloggers – epseically when we all know that Kinsella has a history of doing this – and then backing off.
but a reall SLAPP that was actually filed in court, that was paid for with YOUR taxdollars… and there is complete and utter silence in the blogworld and MSM on it.. except for the occasional blogging torytrollitariat who thinks it’s funny that I lost my occupation due to a SLAPP action.